Maynards Green CP School
OUR SCHOOL VISION
For our children to have the confidence, skills and attitude to become responsible citizens who can achieve their potential.
Maynards Green CP School
OUR SCHOOL VISION
For our children to have the confidence, skills and attitude to become responsible citizens who can achieve their potential.
We did!
Here are some of the actions we have taken to address concerns you shared with us.
👍Thank you for supporting our school!👍
Dear Families,
Welcome back for Term 3!
Thank you for everyone who took part in the December Family survey.
I share here a selection of comments we received from you:
Strengths shared by families:
Great start to the academic year. It's always a long couple of terms and kids get tired but they seem to have adapted well. I love to hear they will be doing outdoor learning. The idea of hot chocolate is a great idea too. Praising the kids who often go under the radar as are generally well behaved.
From our view it's all positives. We're seeing school trips and activities, gates are being opened on time ( something that has been previously struggled with), kids are happy and love the interactive learning.
It's a lovely school and thanks so much to all the staff. I love getting information on how to stretch my child's learning.
It feels like the school has a strong and compassionate leadership team who has high expectations for behaviour and standards. We hope that poor behaviour will continue to be addressed and that the school will continue to strive for its school values.
Child has settled in really well after being really anxious, massive improvement in their reading and writing already. Lots of fun activities and learning in the first term. Very happy with the school so far!
Concerns shared by families:
Is it possible to look at homework set-up? A lot of the tasks are the same as last year (with a topic adjustment) and we find it very hard to get engagement on it.
Both my boys are outdoorsy and struggle with attention span - as especially now in KS2, I feel there needs to be more attention to how these children are dealt with. When I was at school there were lots of fun projects, outdoors work etc, not hours on end of sitting at desks- which we all know boys especially struggle with.
I have always felt the teachers are providing good learning/teaching, I have never felt reassured with behaviour. Does Maynards Green have a range of other behaviour strategies? It's difficult in big classes, I know, but does the child feel heard? Are they able to be an individual? Do they have the option to say what they are finding difficult? Are they anxious about something?
I will be addressing the concerns raised in the survey in the coming weeks - some of which you can see already actioned in You said... we did!
You said... we did!
This week I have added a "You said... we did!" section to our newsletter. This will keep you updated on any responses, actions or developments linked to feedback from you, our families. I hope that this will be illustrative of the impact you have on the day to day running of our school. We value what you have to say, both positive and negative.
Long Term strategic plan update
I am delighted to share that our team are making outstanding progress towards our milestones in the 5 year plan.
Ahead of schedule (forecast for Sept 2026) we are in fact oversubscribed for places in September 2025 with 31, 1st choice applications submitted.
I am over the moon that so many local families are making Maynards Green their school of choice!
Outdoor learning is also ahead of schedule with Mr Townsend already making developments to the site this month, ready to start teaching our Reception pupils from 3rd February! In Term 4 we will introduce Y2 and in Term 5 our Y1 class. We are so excited to be adding this to our established wider curriculum offer here at MG.
We are all set for another exciting a busy term!
As always, please speak with your child's teacher in the first instance if you have any questions or queries.
Warm wishes,
Mrs Clark
Headteacher
Contents
Please email the school attendance email if your child is ill: attendance@maynardsgreen.org
Reminders
Please note, that we do not permit smartwatches in school for pupils.
Ailsa Clark - head@maynardsgreen.org
Amy Jones - senco@maynardsgreen.org
Claire Boorer - cboorer@maynardsgreen.org
Christina Green - cgreen@maynardsgreen.org
Colette Lacey - clacey@maynardsgreen.org
Isabel Phillips - iphillips@maynardsgreen.org
Carly Townsend - ctownsend@maynardsgreen.org
Nicola Alexander - nalexander@maynardsgreen.org
Sophie Francis - sfrancis@maynardsgreen.org
Karolina Holton - kholton@maynardsgreen.org
Robyn Osborn - rosborn@maynardsgreen.org
Jane Taylor - jtaylor@maynardsgreen.org
Link to our attendance policy - click here
Year R - 96.8%
Year 1 - 95%
Year 2 - 92%
Year 3 - 95.1%
Year 4 - 95.2%
Year 5 - 95.1%
Year 6 - 94.8%
Link to our safeguarding policy - click here
As a parent you are the most important person in keeping your child safe. Children are only in school around 20% of their life, so schools cannot know everything about your child’s life. As a parent you should:
√ Talk to the school if you need help or support.
√ Feel confident about raising any concerns you have in relation to your child.
√ Read your School’s Online Safety, Anti Bullying, Behaviour and Child Protection Policies.
√ Inform the school if your child has any medical conditions or educational needs. Please be honest as we can put strategies in place to keep your child safe if we know. We recognise these needs may change throughout the school year.
√ Make the school aware of any Court Orders relating to your protection or your child’s protection. This ensures school is vigilant to ensure the safety of your child
√ Inform the school if there is any change in your child’s circumstances for example; change of address, change of name, change of parental responsibility.
Parents should tell the teacher if there are any changes to arrangements about who brings their child to, and collects their child from school. Parents should contact the school if their child is absent. This assures the school that you know about the absence.
Mrs Carly Townsend
Deputy Headteacher and Safeguarding Lead
Mental Health
Paws for Thought: Dog Therapy Arrives at Maynards Green!
We're thrilled to announce the arrival of a new furry friend at Maynards Green School! Tilley, our friendly therapy dog, will be making regular visits to the school.
Tilley will spend time with selected pupils, providing a calming and comforting presence. Studies have shown that interacting with dogs can have numerous benefits for children, including:
Reduced stress and anxiety: The gentle companionship of a dog can help alleviate stress and anxiety, promoting a more relaxed and positive learning environment.
Improved social skills: Interacting with Tilley can help children develop empathy, compassion, and social skills.
Increased self-esteem and confidence: Spending time with a friendly dog can boost a child's self-esteem and confidence.
Improved communication: Children may find it easier to communicate their feelings and emotions to a dog, which can then be a helpful tool for teachers and therapists.
We believe that Tilley will be a valuable addition to our school community, providing emotional support and creating a more nurturing environment for our students.
Please note: Tilley's interactions with students will be carefully supervised.
We look forward to sharing more updates on the positive impact of our dog therapy program in the coming weeks.
It has been a very busy beginning to Term 3 and that is without all the learning about the snow and ice that has been in the outside area.
We have been learning about the Polar regions and which animals we could find living in the Arctic and Antarctic. The children have also been practising their drawing skills and have drawn pictures of different types of penguins. This was not an easy task! The children had to demonstrate the school values of resilience when adding detail into their pictures. As you can see the progress in their drawings has been fantastic!
Mrs Green
Reception Class teacher
Wow! What a fun start to the term we have been having in year one. We have a new topic called 'on the move' and we are learning all about different vehicles. So far we have learnt about George Stephenson (he is the dad of all trains) and we got a letter from Zorp the alien asking for information about vehicles on Earth. Over the next few weeks we will be learning about Amelia Earhart, aeroplanes and hopefully making our own modes of transport and testing them.
The children have been working hard during their Phonics lessons. We have covered new graphemes and tricky words and we have already seen them using these in their writing.
Mrs Osborn and Miss Phillips
Year One Class Teachers
To begin our new term, we have started to read the amazing book "Leaf", all about a polar bear who is lost and wants to get home. We have been acting out parts of the story and using toy animals and finger puppets to really get to know the story. In Maths we are learning about money, recognising coins and notes. In art, we have explored charcoal to create boats inspired by Hew Locke's flotilla of boats. Last week we flew to France to find out about our first continent of Europe.
Mrs Boorer
Year Two Class Teacher
Year 3
This term in Geography, we will be asking the question "Where is the best place to live in the UK?". We will be looking at the physical geography of the UK by exploring rivers, mountains and seas, using our mapping skills to find towns, cities and counties and then creating a leaflet to promote the place we think is the best.
Year 4
In Year 4, we are continuing to learn about Hinduism. So far, we learned about Brahman and how he is represented through many different deities. We also began looking at how Hindus worship at home using a puja tray.
In class, we looked at a puja tray and asked questions about it before matching the objects to their symbolism.
Next, we will look at the story of Diwali and we will link this back to our big question: What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today?
Year 5 have been working extremely hard over the last couple of weeks in all areas of learning. They have shown great perseverance in Maths and have finally worked out how to multiply 2/3/4 digit numbers by a 2 digit number. In English, they are enjoying reading about 'Rose Blanche' and have produced good quality writing. In History, we have begun learning about Crime & Punishment through the ages and have already had a number of very interesting discussions. In PE, they have started to practice their Big Dance dance routine in readiness for the big event in March.
This week, the children either listened to the Reception children read, or visited their class and read to them. This weekly activity is enjoyed by both classes and is always a very popular event.
Miss Lacey
Year Five Class Teacher
Year 6 have been working very hard since returning back from the Christmas break.
In maths, we have learned about BIDMAS and have moved on to fractions.
In English, we have written our own stories and have been topping up our grammar knowledge, ready for writing some persuasive letters.
We have started our geography topic about South America and our new history learning about The Mayan civilisation. The children have been very enthused!
Our PE themes for Term 3 are Dance and Fitness. Although our lessons take place in the hall, a full PE kit is still required.
We have already learned some choreography and used it as a basis to create our own dances in pairs. Most importantly, we gave feedback and tried to apply this in our next performances.
Miss Francis
Year Six Class Teacher
English News
This year's World Book Day theme is Read Your Way, aiming to promote the love of reading anywhere you choose! In response to this, we are inviting children to come dressed in cosy clothing in which that they feel comfortable reading. Snuggle up and open a book!
In conjunction with World Book Day, we have the Scholastic Book Fair visiting us again. The fair will be here from Monday 3rd - Thursday 6th March 2025. This is not only a great opportunity to buy some new books but also provides the school with much-needed funds for books.
Maynards Green are starting a new reading challenge called "Read your height in books". I will be launching this in assembly next week; more details to follow!
The start of a New Year signals the start of a new set of Nature Champions.
Over the past few weeks I have let the children know that I am now accepting applications for the new Nature Champions.
They can apply using posters, letters, videos, powerpoints, whatever form best suits them. I will be looking for 2 Nature Champions in each class from Year 1-6.
Anything that needs sending via email can be sent directly to me at nalexander@maynardsgreen.org
The last day for applications will be Monday 20th January.
Mrs A
Science Lead
Dormice
Kiyara- Excellent description of shapes with 4 sides.
Lilly - For her amazing drawing of a penguin.
Squirrel
Myles- For amazing effort in English.
Willow- For her amazing writing in English.
Hedgehog
Enzio- for a super story based on Stuck - it was so funny and followed the structure of the story.
Jasper Hudd- excellent work on money, both recognising and totalling pounds and pence.
Rabbit
Lola - for the amazing improvement in her handwriting.
Foxes
Jesse and Edward - for working beautifully together to create partner balances in gymnastics. You both showed excellent communication skills!
Toby - for his great resilience during our maths investigations.
Badgers
Lottie - for demonstrating excellent resilience in Maths.
Jake - for excellent improvement in all areas of learning.
Deer
Hollie - for a great effort with multi-step problems in maths.
Ollie - having more self-belief with his maths and applying his 'fast track pass' to dividing by a 2 digit number.
Dormice
Ivy- For being kind to a new member of the class.
Harper - for demonstrating resilience by not giving up when given a challenge.
Squirrel
Elsie- For showing positivity and courage when trying something new.
Hedgehog
Boden- for showing courage when returning to school.
Kiera- for responsibility - keeping her table and the classroom tidy so we are all ready for learning.
Rabbit
Ember - for always showing respect to others.
Foxes
Nevaeh - for growing as a learner, being respectful and taking responsibility for her own learning.
Olivia-Rose - for always being respectful of other children's needs. You show such care and empathy, it's inspiring!
Jamie NS - for working well in a group, taking on a leadership role to organise a gymnastic sequence in PE.
Badger
Oliver Kennedy - For always being supportive and a good friend
Henry - For being a kind and supportive friend
Deer
Isabel - for showing resilience with her learning in maths.
Carys - for being an incredible role model and displaying all of our school values.
Orla - for always showing kindness and respect.
Chartwells
<---------- Click on the images for help with Arbor. More info can also be found here: https://maynardsgreenschool.co.uk/esussex/primary/maynardsgreen/site/pages/parentsletters/arborparentportalandapp
⭐️Do you want to work in a school, that fits in with your family?⭐
Fully Funded (FREE) NCFE | CACHE School Support courses available in levels 1, 2 & 3, starting on 2nd December!
Sessions will be available with Aspire Education's employment engagement officers after course completion!
We run ONLY in term time and not during half term/ end of term periods.
This is a six-week intensive course, with online live webinars with Aspire Education's friendly tutors, starting at 9:30am and finishing at 2pm (with lunch break period) from Monday to Friday.
All you need is access to the internet and a laptop or tablet.
These courses are fully funded by the ESFA (Education Skills Funding Agency).
If you are earning less than £23,500 per year OR claiming benefits (including Universal Credit, JSA, ESA, PIP, Income Support, Housing Benefits, carers allowance or any type of Tax Credit including Child Tax Credit) you are eligible for a fully funded place on our courses.
*Please see more details about our eligibility on our website.
Take advantage of this opportunity while it's still available.
Please go to: www.studysmartuk.online for more information.
All sessions include a healthy meal and are free to eligible young people. There is a great range of clubs spread across multiple venues in East Sussex. Activities include sport, art, theatre, forest school, animation, music, computer coding and crafts.
A small number of places will also be available to children and young people who:
Disabled or special educational needs, including those with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
Children in Need (CiN)
Referred to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
Young Carers
Have a disabled sibling
Children on a Child Protection Plan (CP) and Looked After Children (LAC)
Refugee groups
Please note. HUGGG Vouchers for those in receipt of FSM will always be issued in the last week of the term.
Maynards Green CP School - Newsletter
'Growing the community one child at a time'